“Information is abundant; it’s common. What’s uncommon, and desperately needed in today’s education system, is the innovator’s mindset” (p. 41). This was one of those statements in Couros’ The Innovator’s Mindset that has stuck with me since I put the book down. I’ve often discussed the shift away from content to skills, or content through skills, with my students and teachers, and Couros captures the sentiment so clearly and effectively. When we can find anything online so easily and information is abundant, we need to stop asking Google-able questions and push students towards critical thinking.

This post continues and concludes (for now at least) a look into the #InnovatorsMindset through the lens of educational reform and in contrast to E.D. Hirsh’s Cultural Literacy. To recap from last time, I read both texts for a doctoral paper exploring change and controversy and wrote about them in What vs. How: #InnovatorsMindset and Ed Reform. I explored each author’s take on the skills and content that they thought would make our students ready for their futures.

Today, I’ll share my analysis from my paper, focusing on what we teach, how we teach it, and the content vs. skills debate. With more reflection, I constantly come back to the understanding that content matters and does provide a context and schema for real understanding, but it matters less and less unless we can do more and more with it. It’s not what we know, but we are able to use it.

Unlocking Potential

Couros argues that “We are spending so much time telling our students about what they can’t do that we have lost focus on what we can do” (p. 7), to which Hirsh would counter: “Our children can learn this information only by being taught it” (p. 14). What and how seem to be at odds in this dynamic. Hirsh’s views on the limited potential of students are definitely problematic, writing, “Left to itself, a child will not grow into a thriving creature” (p. 31). Really!?!

While Hirsh wants students to simply memorize 150-pages-or-so of definitive knowledge and ideas, Corous seeks to expand worldviews: “Innovation demands that our students learn the basics, but how we go about teaching them may look different than in years past. The basics are crucial, but they cannot be the only things we teach our students” (p. 163). What we teach our students is crucial to both authors as information is key in both texts.

Information in the Digital Age

We live in a digital and information age where virtually anyone can access anything at anytime. The access to information in 1987, when Hirsh first published, was different. Encyclopedias and dictionaries were impractical tools, Hirsh claims, so information had to be memorized. Otherwise, it was impossible to make meaningful connection and learn; “It is not enough to say that students can look these facts up” (p. 60).

For Couros, “Information is abundant; it’s common. What’s uncommon, and desperately needed in today’s education system, is the innovator’s mindset” (p. 41). With the innovator’s mindset comes skills but “skill . . . requires the rapid deployment of schemata that have already been acquired and do not have to be worked out on the spot” (Hirsh, 1988, p. 63).

Again for Hirsh, it’s about information first and foremost. With limited flexibility, he wants to tell America what to learn, to which Couros would likely respond: “You’ll learn that to truly empower people, there must be a shift from telling to listening” (p. 7). One can’t help but wonder how Hirsh’s views may have evolved in the new reality of technology and access to information.

Both Couros and Hirsh constantly bring their arguments back to student learning. For Hirsh, it’s about repairing the damage to American education and thereby democratic society. For Couros, it’s about helping students reach their potential and prepare for the future. While Couros embraces change and advocates in positive and collaborative ways, Hirsh seems to fear it and how it might change society. He tries to explain how to allow for some flexibility and evolution to his curriculum but still isolates a concrete and prescribed list. Meanwhile, Couros writes, “If we only teach students the curriculum we have failed them” (p. 223). Knowledge, information, and memorization matter but aren’t the only things that matter in today’s world, or tomorrow’s.

Am I Culturally Literate?

Hirsh wants us all to be culturally literate to repair the achievement gap, economy, and future. Every literate Americans might need to know his entire list, but I certainly didn’t. As a high school graduate, let alone college graduate, teacher, doctoral student, etc. I hope he would consider me literate.

Or maybe not. From the 88 words and phrases on page 205 of Cultural Literacy, I only knew 60 very well, with 68% success. For Hirsh, I barely pass. But for Couros, who quotes Young Zhao saying, “Reading and writing should be the floor, not the ceiling” (p. 163), the knowledge is just one piece of the puzzle.

How do you balance the dynamic between content and skills? Is information enough in today’s classroom? What are your views on the #InnovatorsMindset? Share your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter @MrSchoenbart.

Good educators are reflective practitioners. We reflect, grow, and improve every day and every year. Our students and the world we all live in keep changing, so we can’t afford not to do the same. But meaningful change must be intentional; it’s important for us all to actively plan to make change happen to do better for our students.

Last year, I reflected on these changes in 5 Big Shifts for My Classroom This Year, which turned out the be one of the most popular posts on The SchoenBlog. I focused on 5 C-phrases: Centered on students, connected learning, creation, a community of learners, and communication.

This year I have the opportunity to reflect on my goals as a teacher, coach, and writer. I’ll likely do so in separate posts over the next few weeks. As a teacher, though, there are a few big ideas that have been rolling around in my head. They’re not fully formed yet, but are the seeds of innovation I intend to develop this year.

And I’d love your help. If you have experience with one of these shifts, can share a resource, or connect me with someone to help, please let me know. I’m looking for advice and reading to push me forward.

5 Classroom Shifts

1. Rethinking Grades

Right now, I don’t know what to do about grades. For the past few years, I’ve allowed students to revise anything as long as they are coming to extra help, so that students who work hard will always earn the highest grade they deserve. It was more important that they learn and grow than learning in the moment I dictated. But for students who aren’t as motivated? For those who stumble? It was really hard to come back from.

If you’re missing work and not coming to extra help or revising, I didn’t accept the work. Responsibility, timeliness, and management all mattered, too. But I want students’ work to represent their best, yet I also want to celebrate success without punishing failure. I’m not sure what the answer it but I’ve been doing my own summer homework, reading about throwing out grades and homework. Right now, I’m leaning towards a system with more project-based work, where students set their own goals and deadlines as much as possible. Most importantly, they self-assess and peer-assess their own work. How this will translate into points and grades—or even if it will, is a question for another day and post.

What are your grading and homework policies? Are you ready to throw out grades?

2. Portfolios, Publishing, and Growth

My students, colleagues, and parents always hear me talk about growth. I’m big on data-driven instruction and celebrating small victories, but I want to do better at documenting the growth and progress. This year, I want to truly embrace online portfolios and publishing work.

Last year, we blogged for #GeniusHour and I shared a lot of student work on social media and right here on the blog. Next year, I want students to be documenting their own growth, reflection, and successes. I’m not sure if that will involve individual student blogs, class blogs, or a Google Sites portfolio, but I’m considering a few options.

Since I want to celebrate growth and success, provide authentic publishing opportunities, and encourage real-world connections, collaboration, and feedback, I’m leaning towards student blogs with a monthly or bi-weekly post showcasing their best work of that time period. I don’t want to force student to share the work that’s not ready (or they’re not yet proud of) but do want to real world publishing for audiences beyond the teacher and even the class.

What portfolio or blog systems do you recommend for high school English?

3. Project-Based Learning

I’m done with direct instruction. I’m done being the one to do the talking. And I’m done being in charge and having control. These statements are partially in jest—I’m not a fan of big blanket statements in education and these don’t really represent my classroom. Over the past few years, I’ve moved towards a much more student-centered approach with choice and voice.

Now I want to involve students more directly in that planning and learning, creating an environment where they can actively create and manage the learning experiences. I love many of my lessons and past teaching experiences, but I think it’s time for something more, and to continue to push the focus from the teacher to the student for more meaningful learning opportunities.

Can anyone share some great PBL resources for high school English?

4. From Engagement to Empowerment

I can keep my students engaged—they are using technology, writing, thinking critically, working collaboratively, and so much more. If you look into my classroom or even follow along on Twitter (@SchoenTellOHS), you will almost always see engagement.

But empowerment? That’s another story. I want to foster a classroom culture that empowers students to be active participants and creators in their learning experiences. A classroom where their voices, interests, and ideas really matter in shaping their learning. I want my students to have the power to direct their learning, to want to have that power, and to want to learn. First, I need to clarify my expectations for empowerment, I think, but echoes of The Innovator’s Mindset are definitely still ringing in my mind, and it seems like the next step forward for my learners.

How is engagement different than empowerment for your learners?

5. Failing Forward (no one left behind!)

I'll end with the largest shift: failing forward. It’s become a buzzword of sorts in education, as we consider growth mindset and the #InnovatorsMindset. I want my students to embrace iteration, creation, and growth. Sometimes, that means failure.

But more specifically for me, I don’t want my students to fail. I don’t want to give up on high standards, expectations, or policies, but I want to do more to show empathy, build character, and recognize the whole child. Our teenagers are so much more than just 9th and 10th grade English students, and I don’t want to lose sight of that in our tight 41-minutes each day. I want a classroom culture where failure is never an endpoint, growth and innovation are the norm, and everyone succeeds.

Some of that (a lot?) is out of my control. It’s idealistic for sure. But it feels right on an emotional, personal, and pedagogical level. If I’m going to work hard to push students forward and to raise expectations, I need to do more to help them get there.

How do you deal with failure in your teaching?

More Shifts to Come

I started the list that became these five shifts back in June, during the last few weeks of the school year. I’m sure I could have easily made it 10, or even 20, but I think this is a good start.

Some of it’s abstract. It’s a little idealist. But for me and my classroom, it feels right. I’ll be thinking about these five ideas and my questions throughout this post over the remainder of the summer months. Expect some follow up on the Schoenblog as I process and grow.

What shifts or changes do you plan for your classroom or teaching in the upcoming school year? Can you help me with advice, ideas, or resources for mine? Please share in the comments or on Twitter @MrSchoenbart.

For a summer doctoral class titled Culture, Politics, and Educational Reform, I was assigned a paper on an educational controversy. I was directed to read two books that offer different viewpoints on an issue, and to analyze both arguments through the lens of educational change. I was already reading George Couros’The Innovator’s Mindset, which advocates for a shift in mindset to innovation and risk-taking in education, and my professor suggested I pair it with E.D. Hirsh’s classic, Cultural Literacy. In it, Hirsh argues that there a specific and concrete list of facts and information that every literate American needs to know.

I really enjoyed the reading and analysis, and think the combination of the texts offer a really interesting lens for examining today’s world of education. In June, I set out to plan My Summer of Learning, and The Innovator’s Mindset was at the top of the list (full disclosure: I’ve only read Innovator's and half of Teach Like a Pirate so far, and haveHacking Assessment on deck--dissertation reading has taken over!).

The paper presented both author’s arguments, essentially contrasting changes in how we should be learning (Couros) versus what we should be learning (Hirsh). It should be no surprise that I connected more with #InnovatorsMindset; in fact, I found some of Hirsh’s arguments to be laughable and even offensive from a modern perspective. If you are interested in the full paper, read it here, but for this post I will stick to some of the highlights examining these two viewpoints on educational reform. This writing is more scholarly than my usual work--it is excerpted from my coursework, after all, but I think it will still be meaningful to my audience.

#InnovatorsMindset

In The Innovator’s Mindset, Corous uses his own experiences as a teacher, administrator, and lead learner to make an argument for a shift in how we view education. He builds on the concept of Carol Dweck’s growth mindset, positing that today’s students need something more; they need the innovator’s mindset: “the belief that the abilities, intelligence, and talents are developed so that they lead to the creation of new and better ideas . . . We must focus on creating something with the knowledge that’s been acquired” (2015, p. 33). Innovation is not about technology, but about new and improved ways of thinking about learning. He describes eight characteristics of the innovator’s mindset as empathetic, problem finders/solvers, risk takers, networked, observant, creators, resilient, reflective.

Couros makes the compelling argument that today’s schools are largely becoming outdated in the wake of worldwide change. Because students’ futures, jobs and careers, post-secondary education, and the world economy all predict such drastic change, our systems need change, too. We cannot keep preparing students for the world of yesterday, or even of today. He writes, “I’m not saying that today’s schools are irrelevant yet . . . We need to change what school looks like for our students so we can create new, relevant opportunities for them--for their future and for today” (p. 5). Education needs to “create the conditions where change is more likely to happen” (p. 8).

What Americans Need to Know

For Hirsh, however, skill is never really an issue. He briefly addresses it throughout Cultural Literacy, but almost half of the text is his master list of what every American needs to know; “To be culturally literature is to possess the basic information needed to thrive in the modern world” (p. xiii). His influences come from schema theory, as he argues that knowledge, information, and how we make connections between information is the most powerful factor in improving literacy. Like Couros, Hirsh’s work is a clear product of its time, referencing countless studies about the failing American education system of the 1980’s.

Hirsh’s ideas are a direct contradiction to much of the work that founded American education systems, like that of Dewey and Rousseau. They opposed such a focus on acquiring knowledge. Hirsh argues that Dewey had too much faith in students abilities to develop skills from knowledge (that sounds pretty crazy, right?). Instead, he advocates: “Only by piling up specific, communally shared information can children learn to participate in complex cooperative activities with other members of their community” (xv). He rejects formalistic education theories, which support that any suitable content can help develop skills. Instead, skills must be developed through the memorization of a standardized set of information--names, places, and ideas--and this can help to close achievement gaps and improve American society. He posits that “the decline of literacy and the decline of shared knowledge are closely related, interdependent facts” (p. 7).

Conclusions

It’s difficult to examine these texts through the lens of educational change without the socio-historical frame. These texts both make sense in the times they were written. For Hirsh, a consistent curriculum was lacking (an issue we are still dealing with today) and knowledge reigned supreme.

He looked to information as the key to closing the achievement gap but clearly overlooked and outright ignored the value and development of skills, experience, and context. Some might argue that Couros may over rely on skills--what subject or information should teach resilience, for example?--and his open views to education and curriculum would likely infuriate Hirsh. But in today’s digital age, Hirsh can only be viewed as outdated, and at times offensive. Couros wants to engage and empower teachers and students and learners while Hirsh wants to dictate and limit learning experiences.

Next Time

Next week, I’ll share part 2 of the paper, where I contrast the two texts and their views on information and preparing students for their futures. I know this kind of post is a little different than my usual, but I think the themes of the texts and the lens of educational change are important for us all. Let me know in the comments or on Twitter if you agree.

What are your thoughts on #InnovatorsMindset? How does it compare to Hirsh’s views in Cultural Literacy? How do we balance content and skills in today’s classroom?

Does the size of a conference really matter? That’s a question that I spent some time thinking about this week. I had the pleasure of attending #EdcampLDR at the Hudson Valley, New York site on Monday and sit here typing away at the NJ #GAFESummit today. With these experiences, I’ve been thinking a lot about how we work and learn together in today’s education and technology conference culture.

#EdcampLDR’s Hudson Valley site was new this year, and was an intimate gathering. Last year, I attended the North NJ location, with around 200 other educators (I wrote about it in 5 Things That Make Education Conferences Great). It was BIG. This year, though, I walked in to see around 25 educators ready to learn. I’ll be honest: my first instinct was apprehension. There were few of the conference regulars and “big names” of education. Who would lead the sessions? Who would I learn from?

And these quick instincts were the wrong way to think about edcamps, for sure. Within minutes, I met educators who were eager to spend a summer day learning and growing. We didn’t have presentations; we had discussions. We asked questions, shared ideas, and solved problems. And it was awesome.

The big conferences are great--I sat in packed sessions at #GAFESummit today--and the more you can learn the better. But they can also be overwhelming sometimes. In a full day conference, sometimes my brain is full by lunch.

With #EdcampLDRHV, the half day unconference, with three time slots and only fifteen discussion-based sessions, the learning was slower with smaller groups. But it was more intimate, and maybe more thoughtful. I loved both experiences but I wonder how the 25-participant experience allows for different learning opportunities.

I’m starting to think of conference experiences like I look towards my teaching ones: sometimes whole class or large group instruction is best, but I truly enjoyed the variety of learning experiences my summer has offered so far.

Summer is a time to pause, reflect, and process, and these conferences have given me a great opportunity to do that. I’m looking forward to seeing continued growth for the summer weeks to come.

A Note From the Schoenblog

Faithful readers will notice that there’s only been one weekly post for the past few weeks. Summer’s been great but it’s also been busy with administrative internships, doctoral school, and so much more. I’ll be slowing down for the summer but expect a weekly post to continue. Then, look for a brand new Schoenblog 2.0 to premiere towards the end of the summer with new content, new series, and so much more.

Thank for reading and please continue to share, comment, and connect on Twitter @MrSchoenbart.

There are always things I want to do better. This morning, while prepping for a conference presentation on #GeniusHour, I realized that I had a pretty clear cut list for growth and reflection for next year.

I wrote a similar article last year in 1st Time #20Time: What I’ll Do Better Next Time. It’s interesting to reread this piece. I definitely improved in many areas--and so did my students. I succeeded in revamping my feedback and check in process with their work, made better use of modelling, and implemented Blogger for blogging.

Now that I have two years of successful projects, I need to use more models and a larger variety to show how diverse projects can be. Last year, I remarked that “I need to push more students to step away from the easy option. A Google Slides presentation is simply not the most effective way to present knowledge in most cases,” and I think we did well at this one. Form followed purpose and function with a new level of critical thought.

I still need to work with students to improve citations, editing, and hyperlinking for next year, but that’s a focus for all high school students, not just with #GeniusHour. I also want to empower students by having them create their deadlines and schedules. This was a great suggestion from a handful of them this year.

But as always, with success comes room for reflection and growth. Everything I’ve written about and summarized above matters, but they’re smaller, more isolated areas. In the end, there are 5 BIG things that I want to focus improving for next year’s #GeniusHour.

5 Ways I Want to Improve #GeniusHour

1. Understanding Audience

This year’s students did a great job choosing formats that were effective for their projects. While there were still plenty of Google Slides presentations, they also included videos, interviews, letters, and no-tech creations.

Now we need to take it further and understand how to present to different audiences. Who is the audience for your work? How will you reach them? Why should your work matter to them? I ask my students to identify who their work will benefit; sometimes it’s themselves, other times the school, and yet others the world. I want to teach students to engage authentic audiences and to be more mindful of these choices.

2. Research Methodology

I teach English, so research and writing are essential in our #GeniusHour work. This year, students were asked to create annotated bibliographies, consult with experts, and to try to create their own action research. For many students, this action research was really successful and had a huge impact on their work.

I want to find more opportunities throughout the year for students to practice conducting original research and to understand more about basic research methodology and analysis.

3. Synthesizing & Creation

When you put all of that research together, it can be hard to organize it in meaningful and additive ways. I tell students that all of the sources should be present in the final product in some way, with the whole being stronger than the sum of its parts.

The research and writing needs to come together to create something greater. When any slide, idea, or paragraph can be removed without a loss, that’s a problem. I want to work more on developing real synthesis next year. The students’ ideas, research, and creations were excellent; now I want to help them build something new.

4. Why Blog?

Some of my students embrace the blogging but some just...don’t. For those who do, it’s authentic and powerful. This year, students received comments and feedback from their peers and from teachers and students across the world, and that was great. But for those who don’t like the blogging, it’s a burden. For some, I think it might be a major impediment to succeeding with their work.

I’m not sure how to deal with this one yet. I see great value and student growth from the reflection of blogging. I might make some posts optional. I’ve considered a class #GeniusHour blog as the requirement with the option for individual ones. I’m not sure blogging is absolutely necessary for success, but it definitely helps and documents growth with transparency and authenticity. But is it really authentic if I'm forcing students to do it? I need to put more thought into this one.

5. No One Fails

Last year, I discussed my appreciation for students’ honestly in their reflections and presentations. Some didn’t succeed because they were overly ambitious or didn’t realize the level of work they proposed. These students may not have completed the project they proposed exactly, but they learned, grew, and created nonetheless. This is not a failure.

The failure is with the students who gave up or chose never to begin. And that’s something I can’t let happen. My students are high schoolers, and they make their own choices as young adults. Still, I need to do more to reach those students who need the support and guidance, whether they are confused, resistant, reluctant or anything else. There are times when I need to put the student before the learning and try harder to reach them all. It’s a difficult goal but here it is: no one fails. At least not in the tradition sense. I want to teach students to fail forward and to help them all succeed.

In #GeniusHour, I’ve seen students grow, investigate, and learn with more interest, activity, and innovation than ever before. I’ve also seen some struggle and not recover. In August, I’ll likely write an updated version of 5 Big Shifts in My Classroom in 2015, and the ideas from this post will be there, starting with no one fails. I want to work harder to reach every single student as a person and learner, both in #GeniusHour and in life.

What do you want to improve on in your teaching? How do you push every student to succeed? Share your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter @MrSchoenbart.

About Me

Adam is a high school teacher, technology coach, Google for Education Certified Trainer, and EdD candidate. He is one of the National School Board Association's “20 to Watch” Educational Technology Leaders for 2016. He is also the co-founder of The Education Calendar, a crowdsourced map and calendar of education events worldwide. Adam teaches in New York in a 1:1 Chromebook classroom and blogs about teaching and educational technology at aschoenbart.com. He can be reached at aschoenbart@gmail.com and would love to connect on Twitter @MrSchoenbart.